Fire and Water
by motherfuckinmiracles
Summary: Haruka has started her journey late, and worries that she won't be any good. But when she meets her match, she is inspired to try. T for some language later on. Eventual HarukaxAsuna. Uhh, please disregard the fact that Norman/Senn/Dad/whatever asks Haruka if she's there to battle him in chapter 1, I hadn't realized at the time that he was the 5th gym leader. Sorry!
1. Off to A Late, Great Start

"All right, Haruka! Make a wish!"

Haruka grinned and moved to blow out the candles, but her new Mudkip beat her to the punch, shooting a Water Gun at them. "Hey!"

"Mud! Kip, kip!" The Mudkip looked up at her, as if to say, "I regret nothing." And she couldn't stay mad at him. After all, a Pokemon had to have some fun with its new Trainer. Although she was turning 15, it was just today that she would be starting her Pokemon journey. Her brother, Yuki, had started when they turned 10, as was the case with most trainers, and often taunted her about starting late, but it was all just fun and games. She hadn't seen much of a big fuss until now, and surprisingly Professor Birch still had a Mudkip. The original Treecko had been given to Yuki, but they hadn't seen who had gotten the Torchic.

So they headed off together, Yuki serving as a guide for his sister through Oldale Town, and to Petalburg. She was raring to head into her first Gym battle. even though and especially since it would be against their father. Of course, what kind of good brother would he be if he didn't battle her for some training first?

"Ready, sis?" Yuki asked. Haruka nodded. "All right, Taillow, let's get this show on the road!"

"I think we can do this, Mudkip!" The Mudkip cried in agreement.

"Taillow, start it off with a Peck!" The Taillow swooped in and pecked Mudkip on the head. He fell back, but hopped right back up.

"Hit it with Tackle!" He dashed in and knocked into the Taillow as hard as his little body could, but it didn't look to do an awful lot of damage.

"Retaliate with Quick Attack!" The bird Pokemon flew forward swiftly at Mudkip.

"Dodge it!" But the mud fish Pokemon wasn't quite fast enough, and took the hit hard.

"Okay, okay. I think the poor fella has taken enough damage." Yuki returned his Taillow and knelt beside the tired Mudkip, offering an Oran Berry. "You'll make a great Trainer."

Haruka grinned. "Thanks." She picked up the Mudkip, petting its head behind the fin.

"Shall we keep going then?"

She nodded and off they went, encountering plenty of Zigzagoon and Wurmple along the way. It was a long walk, about 3 or 4 hours, so by the time they had arrived, it was sunset.

Haruka yawned. "Think we can stay with Dad the night?"

"Of course." He knocked on their father's door in the west of the town, next door to the Gym.

Norman opened the door, a look of surprise on his face as he hugged his children. "Hey there, kids! What brings you here from Littleroot?"

"Haruka's finally started her journey," Yuki replied, grinning.

Norman looked at his daughter's Mudkip proudly. "That's great! I take it that you've come to battle me, then? Could it wait for tomorrow?"

"Duh, it can," Haruka giggled. "I know I'm not the only one who's tired." As if on cue, Mudkip yawned, or mimicked one as well as Pokemon could. She decided she'd call him Kip from now on.

"If you'd like, you could stay the night, but that's probably what you came to ask your old man, isn't it?"

Yuki nodded, and the two of them were invited in. They talked, and it wasn't long after nightfall that they all fell asleep.

**AN: So I know that Norman is the father of the player, and that the rival character gets to be Birch's kid, but whatever, right? I think this works just as well. But all of you can give me your criticism and input. This is my first Pokemon fic; I've thought of ideas, but they all sucked, and I hope this one doesn't. Reviews are much appreciated! ^u^**


	2. Fur, Fins, and More

**Hey everyone! I failed epicly last chapter. I was getting really ahead of the story because I wasn't paying attention... Forget that Norman/Senn/Dad/whatever asked Haruka if she had come to battle him. I didn't know that he was the 5th gym leader, apparently. I'm so sorry O~o**

Stretching and waking up the next morning, Haruka looked down at where Kip had been sleeping, but noticed he wasn't there. She turned over, slightly concerned. "There you are," she chuckled softly, seeing the mudfish Pokemon snoozing at her feet. Carefully she sat up and got out of the nice, comfy bed, attempting to wake neither Kip, Yuki, nor her father.

It was a nice day, and Haruka stood around, enjoying the breeze. "Haruka!" someone yelled, running towards her. She jerked her head in the direction from which the voice came. It was Professor Birch.

"Oh, Professor. Why'd you come-" Haruka stopped when she saw the Egg in his hands. It was shaking about, but she had just that that was because he had been running.

"Your Mightyena must have mated with a wild Mightyena, and your mother found this! Of course," he laughed, "no one ever really knows how Eggs get there... But anyway, she wanted you to have it. I've taken extreme care of it, and I think it's going to hatch soon."

Haruka's eyes widened. The Mightyena in question had been a Poochyena years before, when Yuki had fought it off of the Professor and afterward become a Trainer. He had loved how cool it looked, so he asked the Professor for some Potions, and when he had received his Treecko, and later some Pokeballs, he "caught" the Poochyena. (Although really, he just asked the small dog Pokemon if it would like to join him and by way of growling, it had agreed.) Yuki kept it around the house, and it became something of a family pet, albeit the kind that traveled with its Trainer whenever he left. It had evolved to become a Mightyena, but was no less lovable.

"That's fantastic!" She replied, grinning.

Professor Birch handed her the Egg. It shook, and the Egg began to crack. "Oh!"

In a couple moments the Egg had completely hatched, and in Haruka's arms was now a Poochyena, which made soft yipping noises. "It's so cute! Thanks, Professor!"

"Of course. Now, if you don't mind too much, I have to get back to the lab. It's really busy being a Pokemon professor, researching and studying all the Pokemon out there. There's a whole vast amount! Oh, that reminds me. I never gave you this." He handed Haruka a Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex. It records the information for the Pokemon you encounter. I don't mean to put even more of a burden on your shoulders, because I know you'll be really busy battling Trainers, defeating gym leaders, and having fun. But do you think you could help me learn more about the Hoenn region's Pokemon?"

Haruka blinked, but quickly smiled. "Uh, sure thing!"

"Great, thanks! You can always use the PC at any Pokemon Center to talk to me and tell me how you're doing. I look forward to hearing about your progress." With that, he bid farewell and parted. Haruka laughed nervously to herself. _Well, that was rather unexpected..._ She thought. But it wasn't all that bad.

Poochyena growled in her arms. "Hmm... I bet you're probably hungry." She went back into the gym, where she found her brother getting his stuff together. Her father was probably in the back of the gym, battling against a Trainer. It seemed early, but it wasn't improbable.

Yuki looked at the Poochyena. "Where'd you get that little fella?" After all these years, he still had a soft spot for dog Pokemon.

"Professor Birch just ran up to me and gave me an Egg. I guess it was good that he was in a hurry, because it hatched pretty soon!"

"Wow, but why'd he do that?"

Haruka gave a small, mental laugh at his confusion. "Your Mightyena must have mated with a wild Mightyena, is what he said. That's not too out of the question, I guess."

"Well, it is kind of weird, considering how most of the wild Pokemon around Littleroot are only Poochyena..."

"You've taken him practically all the way across the Hoenn region, though," Haruka laughed. "He's bound to have found a mate somewhere."

Yuki frowned. "I do remember encountering another Mightyena, and they played outside while I talked with a friend I met in Lilycove City... But there's no way the Egg could just manage to have gotten back home..."

"Unless...?" Haruka hinted.

Yuki's face turned slightly red. "Unless he was a she..."

"So I guess your Mightyena is a mom now..." They both laughed nervously until Poochyena to squirm in Haruka's arms. "Oh yeah, I was gonna feed this little guy..."

She set him down and rifled through her bag. "Umm... I guess some Pokeblock will do." She got out a piece and fed it to the small dog, who wolfed it right up. Kip jumped beside her, obviously jealous. She laughed and gave him a piece.

"All right, I guess we should get going now, huh?"

Yuki nodded. "To Rustboro City we go."

Poochyena barked in agreement, and Kip swished his tailfin. "Oh, wait." Haruka crouched beside the eager Poochyena, who like a young child, had a brave air about him, proud and ready to fight. "I don't know if now I'm your Trainer or not, but you'd still need a place to stay. So do you wanna hop in here?" She held up a Pokeball. Poochyena sniffed at it suspiciously, but then gave a small growl of assent. After he had transported into the ball, it wiggled and clicked. Haruka picked up the ball and put it in her bag.

"We should probably let him rest in there before we try to train him," Yuki suggested. Haruka nodded, and they said goodbye to their father, heading through the treacherous Petalburg Woods.


	3. Trouble in the Forest

**This chapter includes an impromptu introduction to Wally because I left him out, but then realized I ought to add him in. So yeah. Enjoy!**

"Wait! Haruka!" For the second time that day, surprisingly, since it was still fairly early, someone needed Haruka, possibly to do something else. When she turned around, she noticed it was her father.

"Haruka," he panted. "This is Wally. He came to ask my help in catching a Pokemon. I'm incredibly busy, though, so would you mind helping him instead?"

"No, sure, I can do that," she replied.

Wally smiled. "Um, could we go back over to Route 102? I saw a Pokemon I kind of liked..." So they walked back as he politely asked. His eyes lit up as he saw it. "There it is! So how do I do this?"

Yuki looked over to Haruka. "Hey, is it alright if I actually show him?"

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Come on out, Linoone." Yuki threw out a Pokeball, and a Linoone stood before the Pokemon, ready to go. "Use a Scratch attack!"

"Linoone!" It pounced out and brought a claw against the Pokemon, which staggered back and used what seemed to be Confusion. Linoone seemed dazed, but shook its head and awaited further orders.

Haruka pulled out her Pokedex, curious as to what the Pokemon even was. "Ralts," the Pokedex said, "the Feelings Pokemon. A Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and Pokémon with the horns on its head. It takes cover if it senses any hostility."

"Now, Quick Attack!" A flash of brown and white fur knocked into the Ralts, which made a small sound of pain, and cowered. "Okay, Wally, get out a Pokeball 'cause it's time to catch it."

Wally fumbled with a Pokeball in his pocket, pressing the button to bring it to its full size. He threw it out and watched it with a set gaze. It stopped, and he cheered. "Haha! Thanks, guys!"

Yuki returned his Linoone and grinned. "Nah, that was nothing. It's always good to help a Trainer get his bearings. One day that Ralts is bound to be strong, I know it."

Haruka tipped her head to one side. "Hey, Wally. I guess it might sound sudden, but... How would you like to travel with us?"

"Travel? Where are we going?" Wally looked a bit nervous.

"I'm just starting my journey too, and I was heading to Rustboro for my first gym battle. If you want to be a good Trainer, having friends to help you work up to it is a great start!" She gave him a glance which was slightly challenging.

"Uhh, okay, why not? But we'd have to be careful in some cities... I have a kinda bad case of asthma."

"Not to worry," Haruka answered, smiling. "But enough talking, let's go!"

* * *

"Shroom!" While walking through the Petalburg Woods, Haruka came upon a small mushroom Pokemon.

"Oh!" she cried. She grinned at its cuteness, and found her self stuck like that for a moment. The Shroomish had sprayed its Stun Spores into her face. Mudkip looked up at her, shooting a Water Gun, hoping to help. Thoroughly startled now, she shook herself off and looked at the Shroomish determinedly. "Cute and rather deadly, huh? All right, this looks like a job for little Poochyena!" The gray dog Pokemon yapped, dashing in front of her protectively. "Tackle it, Poochyena!"

The Shroomish took the hit, flying backwards, flailing its stumpy legs in the air before jumping back up. It used a Leech Life on Poochyena, but Poochyena stood his ground and suffered little.

"Bite!" Haruka cheered. The little dog's jaws clamped on a stumpy leg for a moment. It looked like it had been somewhat critical. "Back, Poochyena." Haruka threw a Pokeball at the mushroom, and it shook three times, slowly, before it caught. She picked up the ball, and laughed gleefully, letting it out again. Rifling through her bag she retrieved a Potion and sprayed the pained mushroom Pokemon. "There."

When she attempted to return him, he dashed to Yuki's side, making noises of protest. "Huh? What is it with my Pokemon not wanting to get in their Pokeballs...?"

Yuki laughed. "'I can only imagine how stuffy it is inside those things."

The mushroom ran back to Haruka, jumping. "Oh, I bet you want me to carry you." She giggled and picked him up. He made a happy noise and they walked on.

A man stood paces ahead. "Hmm... I wonder if there are any Shroomish around here." Shroomish immediately hopped out of Haruka's arms and behind her.

Another man with a blue bandanna showed up. "There you are! I was gonna ambush you later, but now works too! Give me those papers, Devon researcher!"

The man yelped and ran behind Haruka. Yuki and Wally stood a bit further back. Shroomish had to scuttle aside to avoid getting trampled. He looked up at the strange man indignantly.

"Y-you're a Pokemon Trainer, aren't you? Please help me!"

The blue bandanna guy approached Haruka. "Heh, no one gets mercy from Team Aqua, not even a kid! Go, Poochyena!"

Haruka looked down at Shroomish. "Hey, little buddy, I know we just got you, but I believe in you. Wanna do this?" The little mushroom hopped up and down, running to the Poochyena. "Let's start this off with a Stun Spore!" The same spores that had paralyzed Haruka before had the Poochyena stuck on the spot, shaking and paralyzed. "Hit it with a Tackle!" Shroomish ran headfirst into the dog Pokemon, seemingly uttering a battle cry.

The Poochyena staggered. "Use Bite," the Team Aqua grunt shouted. It bit Shroomish's leg like Haruka's own Poochyena had moments before.

"Don't let that get you down," Haruka told the stumbling, fumbling mushroom. "Leech Life!" So it sucked away some of the Poochyena's HP, restoring its own.

"Tackle!" Poochyena headed straight for Shroomish.

"Hit right back with a Tackle," Haruka cried.

The two Pokemon crashed into each other, but Poochyena was knocked the furthest backward, fainting. The grunt returned it. "That's not the end of this," he growled, "is what I would say, if I had more Pokemon... I'll deal with you later. Team Aqua has business in Rustboro City." And with that he ran off.

"Phew!" the Devon researcher sighed. "It would have been awful if I had lost these papers. Here, as my thanks, take this Great Ball."

Haruka smiled warmly. "Thanks. It's always a pleasure to help someone."

"Well, I've gotta get going now. Places to be, people to work with!" He rushed off. The trio headed forward, to the exit out.

"Shroom..." Shroomish, back in Haruka's arms, gave a furtive glance around.

"I know, Shroomish, this place really does seem kinda ominous, doesn't it..."


End file.
